We’re off and running.
Some of the students in Temple's Center for Public History. Source
The students of History5151, excited participants in the #explore1918 experiment in Temple University’s Center for Public History (learn more here) have logged on at Steemit and are beginning to dip their toes into the crypto-digital world that awaits. I’m proud to introduce:
@chelseareed
“When people ask me what I do, my answer depends on who is asking. Most commonly, I tell people that I sing for a living—because I do. …I began singing jazz because of a love for history.” An activist, @chelseareed points out “museums claim to be spaces for public history, but they often only cater to a specific public. To combat this, we need more inclusive programming, both in content and in cost.”
@charliehersh
works as “Education Coordinator at the National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH)” and recognizes that “everyone approaches a particular narrative or artifact from their own personal standpoint and collection of experiences…” He plans to explore 1918 “as a major turning point that drastically changed immigration policy for the next hundred years.”
@dduquette
“worked as the Organization of American Historians' LGBTQ+ Heritage Initiative intern on the National Park Service North East Regional Office's LGBTQ+ Heritage Initiative in Philadelphia” assessing and documenting relevant and under-interpreted sites for potential nomination to local and national historic registries.
@gvgktang, @chelseareed and @tmaust. Source
@engledd
In addition to being a graduate student in public history, @engledd is also an artillery officer in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His interests include military history, especially in colonial America, but also in the ancient Greeks and their neighbors. His thesis: Evaluating “the history of firearms displays in American museums and how current displays could be improved.”
@hourofhistory
Besides being an experienced educator moving into the field of public history, @hourofhistory produces a podcast called Hour of History. Recent episodes have focused on China, Russia, Fake News, Bacardi Rum and the Scottish Fiddle. He’s also a fiddle player and an avid birdwatcher.
@jfeagan
is devoted to the idea and practice of accessibility. Her research: “understanding the role of contemporary media--especially film and podcasts--in historical education.” @jfeagan went to a small college in her hometown of Sarasota, Florida—“a magical, strange place” where “most people don't wear shoes.”
@johnesmithiii
is dedicated to public history, baseball (The New York Yankees) and works at Temple University’s Special Collections Research Center in the Paley Library on digitization projects. He points out their great collection of World War I posters.
@gvgktang
Only a year ago, @gvgktang was working on a paper: “the First Wave of Queer Activism, 1867-1824” that subsequently won a major award. We look forward to hearing more about the deployment of discomfort as an educational tool, a method "to subvert canonical conceptions of the study of identity through the use of ‘inappropriate’ evidence and language.”
@tmaust
In the past, @tmaust has worked at the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, as a tour guide at Eastern State Penitentiary Historical Site, and as an intern at the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks. Now, at the National Park Service Northeast Regional Office, he’s working on a project “to help historic houses at NPS sites freshen up the stories they tell and how they tell them.”
Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks as we explore 1918 in depth and begin to delve into many other aspects of Philly History and the city’s historical and interpretive ecosystem.
